"Do yourself a favor and become acquainted with Emile LaBauve... a cross between Huck Finn & Oliver Twist, with south Louisiana accent and a backwoods attitude... There''s a major talent at work here."
--The Denver Post

"[A] short and expert first novel... not only funny but infused with Wells''s deep love of Cajun patois."
--The New York Times Book Review

"[An] endearing debut"
--The Washington Post Book World

"Wells makes a lively fiction debut with this affectionate slice of Louisiana bayou life... Meely''s Cajun-spiced charisma never flags."
--Entertainment Weekly

"[Meely is] a cross between Huck Finn and Oliver Twist, which a South Louisiana accent and a backwoods attitude....There''s a major talent at work here."
--Booklist

"Often laugh-out-loud funny [but] Wells has carved a sincere and courageous portrait of a boy becoming a man."
--Bookpage